Speaker
Description
Thermoelectric materials, capable of harnessing waste heat in industrial applications, use a temperature difference to create a voltage difference. The most efficient thermoelectric materials are rigid inorganics, but hybrid organic-inorganic materials are flexible and more applicable to moving heated surfaces. To quantify a material’s thermoelectric power factor, we develop an apparatus to determine how strain and temperature variances affect its Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity. The measurement setup consists of a sample holding platform, temperature and voltage data acquisition boxes, and an online environment in LabVIEW for data collection and analysis. LabVIEW controls the temperature on either side of the material through a temperature PID loop. We chart an I-V curve for the thermoelectric sample, allowing us to find the sample’s Seebeck voltage and resistance. Initial testing on bismuth telluride ensures an accurate calibration of the setup. An adjustable mechanism on the measurement platform compresses the sample for data during strain. We report preliminary results for bismuth telluride’s Seebeck voltage and electrical conductivity versus temperature. Our next step will be to fabricate PEDOT:PSS/CNT, a hybrid thermoelectric material, and measure its Seebeck voltage and electrical conductivity versus strain and temperature.
